Eric Singer Accuses Peter Criss and Ace Frehley of Kiss Hypocrisy

Kiss drummer Eric Singer has kept relatively quiet while former members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss ripped the group's current lineup for being "half a Kiss cover band" in recent months. But in a new interview he responds quite sharply, pointing out that neither Criss nor Frehley had a problem playing alongside replacement members wearing the group's original makeup while they were still on the Kiss payroll.

"This is something that I notice that nobody seems to point out," Singer tells Rolling Stone. "When I came in to play with the makeup [in 2001], Ace was in the band, and had no problem with me playing with Peter's makeup while he went onstage and made that Kiss money. In fact, he loved it, and he didn't want Peter back in the band."

And that's just half the story. "And then go forward the next year, when Ace decided to leave. When we fast forward, all of a sudden they bring Peter back, and you got Tommy Thayer playing guitar wearing the Ace makeup, and all of a sudden, no one minded it was Ace's makeup design. Peter had no problem, did he?" (The Paul Stanley / Gene Simmons / Peter Criss lineup was together from 2002 to 2004 and recorded the 'Kiss Symphony: Alive IV' album together.)

Throughout the interview, Singer maintains a highly balanced perspective on all the fuss that has been kicked up in the world of Kiss lately. "This is just music. It's not solving the problems of the world. You know, the most important thing is – I tell everyone – 'Look around you. If you have a kid, look at your kid. Look at her smiling. Look at your family.' That's life. That's what's really important. Not what some band does."